181
Six years ago this week I moved to Grandview. My family would not move down for another month, so I was here alone.
I spent a lot of time in the Prayer Room reading through the Psalms. My heart was broken at the time and I needed comfort.
I had been out of education since the 1999-2000 school year, my only year of "public education."
I had been called to Grandview, literally. I had put my resume' on a website and the Grandview School District called me to interview.
I still get a lot of butterflies in my stomach this time of year. I often battle depression as well. The anniversary of a trauma is always difficult.
But, I was at football practice with Christian today. Jaron has a couple of friends upstairs watching a movie. Amy and Eric are working on the floors of a rental house we are re-habbing and Wesley is at "Worlds of Fun" with a friend.
Life is good.
chris
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
My "Theatre in the Park" Exprience 2012 Edition
182
The last post of my increasingly mis-labeled "Daily Blog" was July 18th (12 days ago.)
Since that time I've gone through 7 performances of the musical "Urinetown" at Shawnee Mission, KS Theatre in the Park.
(Refer to posts: March 25, 29, 31 and April 1st for my Theatre in the Park Audition experience)
Our final performance was last night.
My first rehearsal for "Sweeney Todd" was April 22. My final day of "Urinetown" was July 29th. That's (basically) 5 rehearsals a week for 14 weeks.
This whole theatre experience was just something I wanted to do. The last time I performed in a musical was "Godspell" in 1986.
With CYT i've done the following:
I would sing parts for the performers I was music directing and found I still had a voice...so I put myself on the other side of the table.
Here are some random "lessons" I learned through this whole process:
chris
The last post of my increasingly mis-labeled "Daily Blog" was July 18th (12 days ago.)
Since that time I've gone through 7 performances of the musical "Urinetown" at Shawnee Mission, KS Theatre in the Park.
(Refer to posts: March 25, 29, 31 and April 1st for my Theatre in the Park Audition experience)
Our final performance was last night.
My first rehearsal for "Sweeney Todd" was April 22. My final day of "Urinetown" was July 29th. That's (basically) 5 rehearsals a week for 14 weeks.
This whole theatre experience was just something I wanted to do. The last time I performed in a musical was "Godspell" in 1986.
With CYT i've done the following:
- Assistant Director:"The Phantom Tollbooth"
- Music Director: "Beauty and the Beast"
- Music Director: "Godspell"
- Music Director: "Thoroughly Modern Mille"
- Camp Director: "Selections from: Wicked"
- Numerous other camps...
I would sing parts for the performers I was music directing and found I still had a voice...so I put myself on the other side of the table.
Here are some random "lessons" I learned through this whole process:
- Auditioning is risky. Putting yourself out to be critiqued and ultimately accepted or rejected based on your ability to sing is dangerous to your psyche...I will be even more sensitive to the actors if I am ever in the position to be in the casting process again...
- Treat adults like adults. I appreciated Mark Swezey and his "way." I always felt like I was respected as an adult and was treated as such. I tend to get "lecture-y" and "preachy." Mark was so quiet and used good "word economy."
- Treat kids as adults. David Hastings expected his high-school-aged crew to work and act like professional adults...and they did.
- "Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart." Col. 3:21. I apply this to leadership as much as Parenthood. There is a fine line between perfecting your task and exasperating and discouraging those you lead. I'm afraid I've done my share of "exasperating" in the nameof "perfecting."
- Actors/Performers/Artists are unique. I spent 6 years in Newton primarily surrounded by criminals and convicts. I've spent the last 6 years surrounded by middle school students, educators and kid-performers. It has been great to be around adult actors and performers as a peer. I see those artist tendancies in myself and it was nice to share the "uniqueness" with others.
- Eric Geil is a stud. It was great being Eric's peer and to watch him through the process of learning, rehearsing, perfecting, and performing a role. He schooled me oun mapping out scenes. He was efficient in rehearsals and present in performances. He treated every cast and crew member with respect. Then blew out the stops on stage. We talked about the script and our characters' motivations. It was just a great experience...one that will not come again.
chris
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Father and son from Grandview share the stage in ‘Urinetown’
183
Father and son from Grandview share the stage in ‘Urinetown’
![Eric Geil rehearses with Alyssa Cooper, who portrays Hope Cladwell, the daughter of the mogul who controls all the public toilets in]()
Father and Son Perform in Urinetown
Father and son from Grandview share the stage in ‘Urinetown’
The planets aligned for Grandview duo to perform in Johnson County production.
Eric Geil rehearses with Alyssa Cooper, who portrays Hope Cladwell, the daughter of the mogul who controls all the public toilets in "Urinetown." Cooper is a graduate of Lee's Summit North High School.
Showtimes
“Urinetown” runs this Friday through Sunday and July 26-29 at The Theatre in the Park in Shawnee Mission Park, 7710 Renner Road in Shawnee. Curtain time is 8:30 p.m.
For more information go to www.theatreinthe park.org or call 913-236-1237.
“Urinetown” runs this Friday through Sunday and July 26-29 at The Theatre in the Park in Shawnee Mission Park, 7710 Renner Road in Shawnee. Curtain time is 8:30 p.m.
For more information go to www.theatreinthe park.org or call 913-236-1237.
It took some maneuvering, an agreement between directors and the right timing for a Grandview dad, Christopher Geil, and his son, Eric, to perform together in the same show.
Eric has the leading role of Bobby Strong, and his father plays Senator Fipp in “Urinetown,” a satirical musical comedy about a drought-stricken community where private toilets are banned and people must pay exorbitant prices to the one company that controls all the public ones.
The show opens Friday at The Theatre in the Park in Johnson County.
The collaboration almost didn’t happen.
Eric, 20, a sophomore at the prestigious Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, auditioned by videotape because he couldn’t be at The Theatre’s auditions in March.
“We were so busy with live auditions we almost overlooked the videotaped auditions that came in earlier in the month,” said David Hastings, director of “Urinetown.”
“When I watched the tape and realized how talented Eric is — he has a phenomenal voice — I immediately wanted him for Bobby,” Hastings said.
Meanwhile, Christopher Geil, a longtime fan of the music in “Sweeney Todd,” tried to land a part in that show, the 2012 season opener at The Theatre in the Park. He was selected for the ensemble by “Sweeney Todd” director Mark Swezey.
Turns out Hastings, director of theater at Olathe South High School, also wanted Christopher.
“He has a good voice and I thought was a good fit for Senator Fipp in ‘Urinetown.’” Hastings said. “I told him Eric was going to play Bobby and asked if he’d like to be in ‘Urinetown,’ too. Of course, he did.”
The directors conversed and decided the elder Geil could be in both shows.
“I’m grateful it worked out like it did. It was very important to me to be in a show with my son. It’s the first time we’ve been in the same show. It’s really great. We go over the script together, talk about how the show’s going. It’s an opportunity that’s not likely to come along again,” Christopher said.
“So I had the pleasure of singing in ‘Sweeney Todd’ and I’m playing Senator Fipp, a crooked politician, in ‘Urinetown’ with Eric. I’ve always thought I was a good person so it’s a nice change to play a weasel. The last time I was a bad guy was 25 years ago when I was at Truman State and played a lecherous old man.”
The Geil family moved to Grandview from Nashville in 2006 when Christopher was hired as special education coordinator at Grandview High School. “I was a songwriter and vocalist and played the keyboard and guitar in Nashville,” he said.
Eric relishes being in a show with his dad.
“We have a similar sense of humor. We have a good time together and we both like ‘Urinetown.’ It’s fun for both of us.”
“Bobby Strong is definitely the most hilarious role I’ve played,” Eric said. “Bobby is naïve. He sees everything as positive, thinks everything will turn out okay, thinks he knows everything when actually he knows nothing, and he wants to lead a revolution against the bad guys. He’s a real character.’’
Though he was homeschooled, Eric took 15 hours of voice training at Metropolitan Community College-Longview.
“I learned a lot there. I had a great teacher. I also had good directors during the four years I did shows at Christian Youth Theatre. Right now I’m more singer than dancer, but I hope to improve on that. My goal is to make musical theater my career,” he said.
Alyssa Cooper, 20, Lee’s Summit, is a graduate of Lee’s Summit North High School and a junior at Southeast Missouri State majoring in musical theater. She portrays Hope Cladwell, who becomes Bobby’s love interest.
“There’s a little Romeo and Juliet in it,” she said. “We fall in love while we’re singing ‘Follow Your Heart.’”
This is Cooper’s fourth appearance at The Theatre in the Park. She also has performed at Starlight Theatre and Blue Springs City Theatre.
“I like being Hope. She’s bubbly and energetic and very naïve. Kind of a girl next door type. She’s just returned home after graduating from the Most Expensive University in the World and falls for Bobby,” Cooper said.
Their romance is complicated because Hope’s father is Caldwell B. Cladwell, the greedy CEO of the Urine Good Company, played by Eric Magnus, of Roeland Park. Cladwell’s company controls the town’s public toilets.
Little Sally, a precocious, thoroughly irreverent, but very intelligent street urchin who continually outsmarts the police, is played by Jennifer Cannady of Leawood. Kipp Simmons, Kansas City, Kan., portrays Officer Lockstock
Eric has the leading role of Bobby Strong, and his father plays Senator Fipp in “Urinetown,” a satirical musical comedy about a drought-stricken community where private toilets are banned and people must pay exorbitant prices to the one company that controls all the public ones.
The show opens Friday at The Theatre in the Park in Johnson County.
The collaboration almost didn’t happen.
Eric, 20, a sophomore at the prestigious Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, auditioned by videotape because he couldn’t be at The Theatre’s auditions in March.
“We were so busy with live auditions we almost overlooked the videotaped auditions that came in earlier in the month,” said David Hastings, director of “Urinetown.”
“When I watched the tape and realized how talented Eric is — he has a phenomenal voice — I immediately wanted him for Bobby,” Hastings said.
Meanwhile, Christopher Geil, a longtime fan of the music in “Sweeney Todd,” tried to land a part in that show, the 2012 season opener at The Theatre in the Park. He was selected for the ensemble by “Sweeney Todd” director Mark Swezey.
Turns out Hastings, director of theater at Olathe South High School, also wanted Christopher.
“He has a good voice and I thought was a good fit for Senator Fipp in ‘Urinetown.’” Hastings said. “I told him Eric was going to play Bobby and asked if he’d like to be in ‘Urinetown,’ too. Of course, he did.”
The directors conversed and decided the elder Geil could be in both shows.
“I’m grateful it worked out like it did. It was very important to me to be in a show with my son. It’s the first time we’ve been in the same show. It’s really great. We go over the script together, talk about how the show’s going. It’s an opportunity that’s not likely to come along again,” Christopher said.
“So I had the pleasure of singing in ‘Sweeney Todd’ and I’m playing Senator Fipp, a crooked politician, in ‘Urinetown’ with Eric. I’ve always thought I was a good person so it’s a nice change to play a weasel. The last time I was a bad guy was 25 years ago when I was at Truman State and played a lecherous old man.”
The Geil family moved to Grandview from Nashville in 2006 when Christopher was hired as special education coordinator at Grandview High School. “I was a songwriter and vocalist and played the keyboard and guitar in Nashville,” he said.
Eric relishes being in a show with his dad.
“We have a similar sense of humor. We have a good time together and we both like ‘Urinetown.’ It’s fun for both of us.”
“Bobby Strong is definitely the most hilarious role I’ve played,” Eric said. “Bobby is naïve. He sees everything as positive, thinks everything will turn out okay, thinks he knows everything when actually he knows nothing, and he wants to lead a revolution against the bad guys. He’s a real character.’’
Though he was homeschooled, Eric took 15 hours of voice training at Metropolitan Community College-Longview.
“I learned a lot there. I had a great teacher. I also had good directors during the four years I did shows at Christian Youth Theatre. Right now I’m more singer than dancer, but I hope to improve on that. My goal is to make musical theater my career,” he said.
Alyssa Cooper, 20, Lee’s Summit, is a graduate of Lee’s Summit North High School and a junior at Southeast Missouri State majoring in musical theater. She portrays Hope Cladwell, who becomes Bobby’s love interest.
“There’s a little Romeo and Juliet in it,” she said. “We fall in love while we’re singing ‘Follow Your Heart.’”
This is Cooper’s fourth appearance at The Theatre in the Park. She also has performed at Starlight Theatre and Blue Springs City Theatre.
“I like being Hope. She’s bubbly and energetic and very naïve. Kind of a girl next door type. She’s just returned home after graduating from the Most Expensive University in the World and falls for Bobby,” Cooper said.
Their romance is complicated because Hope’s father is Caldwell B. Cladwell, the greedy CEO of the Urine Good Company, played by Eric Magnus, of Roeland Park. Cladwell’s company controls the town’s public toilets.
Little Sally, a precocious, thoroughly irreverent, but very intelligent street urchin who continually outsmarts the police, is played by Jennifer Cannady of Leawood. Kipp Simmons, Kansas City, Kan., portrays Officer Lockstock
Father and Son Perform in Urinetown
Re-calculating...
This is my 317th post out of 500 I committed (to myself) to do.
I have 184 posts left to fulfill that commitment (to myself.)
There are 166 days left in 2012.
Which puts me behind 18 posts...
(That's 1.11 posts per day until the end of the year.)
This is a pattern in my life.
chris
I have 184 posts left to fulfill that commitment (to myself.)
There are 166 days left in 2012.
Which puts me behind 18 posts...
(That's 1.11 posts per day until the end of the year.)
This is a pattern in my life.
chris
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
TONES
186 (9 posts behind)
TONES makes a big container of taco seasoning.
Unfortunately it also makes a big container of cinnimon that looks exactly the same as the taco seasoning.
I had cinnimon fajitas today.
That's my blog.
chris
(They weren't bad)
TONES makes a big container of taco seasoning.
Unfortunately it also makes a big container of cinnimon that looks exactly the same as the taco seasoning.
I had cinnimon fajitas today.
That's my blog.
chris
(They weren't bad)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Leaders...
187 (9 posts behind)
The following is an outline of the stated qualifications for leadership within the church from
I Timothy:
Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.
Now the overseer is to be:
> above reproach,
> faithful to his wife,
> temperate,
> self-controlled,
> respectable,
> hospitable,
> able to teach,
> not given to drunkenness,
> not violent but gentle,
> not quarrelsome,
> not a lover of money.
> He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)
> He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
> He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
8 In the same way, deacons are to be:
> worthy of respect,
> sincere,
> not indulging in much wine, and
> not pursuing dishonest gain.
> They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.
> They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
What if we held our eleced officials to this standard?
What if we held ourselves to this standard?
What kind of leaders would we pick? What kind of leaders would we be?
hmmmm...
chris
The following is an outline of the stated qualifications for leadership within the church from
I Timothy:
Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.
Now the overseer is to be:
> above reproach,
> faithful to his wife,
> temperate,
> self-controlled,
> respectable,
> hospitable,
> able to teach,
> not given to drunkenness,
> not violent but gentle,
> not quarrelsome,
> not a lover of money.
> He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)
> He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
> He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
8 In the same way, deacons are to be:
> worthy of respect,
> sincere,
> not indulging in much wine, and
> not pursuing dishonest gain.
> They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.
> They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
What if we held our eleced officials to this standard?
What if we held ourselves to this standard?
What kind of leaders would we pick? What kind of leaders would we be?
hmmmm...
chris
Monday, July 9, 2012
Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD
188 (9 posts behind)
I found a copy of the movie "The Road" starring Viggo Mortensen in the 5.99 bin at Walgreens.
It is my favorite book and one of my favorite movies. Definitely one of the best cated movies I've ever seen.
Here is my note when I was one of the few who ever saw it in a theatre:
The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
I found a copy of the movie "The Road" starring Viggo Mortensen in the 5.99 bin at Walgreens.
It is my favorite book and one of my favorite movies. Definitely one of the best cated movies I've ever seen.
Here is my note when I was one of the few who ever saw it in a theatre:
The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
by Christopher L. Geil on Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 10:46pm ·
I read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy in one day, almost at one sitting. It is bleak, brutal, depressing, and I loved it. It spoke to me because A.) I generally struggle with depression anyway and when I find an emotive piece of art that exceeds (or in this case de-ceeds) my well of gloominess it makes me feel better and B.) It is about a father who will do ANYTHING to protect his son both physically and emotionally.
I just saw the movie this afternoon. It was as if everything I saw in my mind's eye when I read the book had been transferred onto movie film and played in a theater. Even though I knew everything that was going to happen, including the end, I left the theater crying, and satisfied.
This is a particular movie for a particular kind of viewer. I imagine it would have been difficult to follow without reading the book, but then the book is also hard to follow.
I want to be one of the good guys. I want to carry the fire.
I just saw the movie this afternoon. It was as if everything I saw in my mind's eye when I read the book had been transferred onto movie film and played in a theater. Even though I knew everything that was going to happen, including the end, I left the theater crying, and satisfied.
This is a particular movie for a particular kind of viewer. I imagine it would have been difficult to follow without reading the book, but then the book is also hard to follow.
I want to be one of the good guys. I want to carry the fire.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
A Poison Tree
A Poison Tree by William Blake
I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the trees.
I kind of like this poem...except, I'm afraid it would be me lying dead beneath my own tree...
chris
I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the trees.
I kind of like this poem...except, I'm afraid it would be me lying dead beneath my own tree...
chris
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Chocolate
190 (9 posts behind)
chris
July 7th, 1550: Chocolate is introduced in Europe, and the
Mexican drink creates a passion that endures after nearly half a millennium.
Europe
came late to the joys of chocolate. Native to Mexico, Central and South
America, cacao cultivation dates to at least 1250 B.C., according to
archaeologists.
Mayans
grew cacao trees in their backyards and used the seeds to brew ceremonial
drinks. In the fifth century, Aztecs consumed xocoatl (bitter water) flavored with vanilla and
chili pepper. The highly valued bean served as currency in Aztec society. One
turkey, for example, cost 100 cacao beans.
As
far back as 1504, Christopher Columbus may have brought cacao beans to Spain from his
fourth and final voyage to the Americas.
Hernan
Cortes, the Spanish conquistador who subdued Mexico with luck and pluck (and
guns, germs and steel), wrote in 1519 that chocolate is “the divine drink which builds up resistance and fights
fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a
whole day without food.”
Cortes
brought cacao beans and chocolate-brewing apparatus back to Spain when he
returned in 1528. And Dominican friars who introduced native peoples to Spanish
royalty in 1544 also gave chocolate to their majesties.
Yet
for all this, the great onrush of the continental cocoa craze is often traced
to July 7, 1550, and July 7 is even gaining currency as Chocolate Day. So who are we to argue? It’s
not brain surgery (though chocolate does have neural effects).
Whatever
its original date of introduction in Spain, chocolate did not stay there.
Spanish friars spread the gospel of Theobroma
cacao throughout Europe as they traveled from monastery to
monastery.
Hot
chocolate became a hit with French royalty after cocoa enthusiast Marie Therese
married Louis XIV in 1660. At the Palace of Versailles, courtiers regarded the
drink as an aphrodisiac.
London’s
first chocolate house opened in 1657. English cafe society believed the drink
to be a cure-all medicine capable of treating tuberculosis. Initially flavored
with coffee, wine and pepper, hot chocolate finally achieved liftoff in the
early 1700s when English and Dutch impresarios hit on the idea of adding milk
and sugar.
It
was only a matter of time before mass-production technologies would transform
bean-based treats from luxury to everyman staple. A century later, chocolate
assumed solid form, courtesy of Fry and Sons.
The
British confectioners figured out how to add sugar and cocoa butter to create a
malleable paste that could then be packaged as “eating chocolate.” The same
standardized processes for extracting cocoa butter to manufacture hard, durable
candy are still used today, essentially unchanged since the Industrial
Revolution.
Unwittingly,
chocolate lovers through the ages embraced a source of natural caffeine that’s
packed with flavonoid antioxidants (also found in tea, red wine and tomatoes)
known for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Chocolate
continues to fuel daily fits of chemical-based exhilaration for sweet-toothed
consumers around the world
chris
Friday, July 6, 2012
721 E. 4th Street N, Newton, Iowa
190 (9 posts behind)
In the Fall of 2000 our family lived in a rental house in Newton.
It was a good house. It was big enough for our 4 boys. It had a big back yard, a big kitchen, and a dining room. We did not plan on buying a house for a year. So we signed a lease and prepared to be renters.
Then the "Bergstom" house went up for sale.
Herb Bergstrom was a Newton "character." He was an oil and fuel wholesaler, and he seemed to be 'onry. He was constantly running for local political office. (In his garage we found a placard that could be affixed to his truck that read, "Herb Berstrom for _____" and you could see where the potential position was painted over multiple times...we made selves out of that sign.)
I drove past the Bergstrom house (721 E. 4th St. N) on multiple occasions. It backed-up to Sunset Park and was flanked by a row of lovely century-old houses.
This house was built around 1910 and it had been owned by the Bergstoms for 50 years.
It was falling apart.
The mint green paint had mostly fallen off. The insides were stained with years of cigarette smoke. But the beautiful oak hardwood trim and library paneling were intact. There was a butler's stair and pocket doors and high ceilings and oak pillars, a bay window with an oak bench.
It was way out of our league as far as repairs that were needed.
We put in a tentative offer and had all the inspections done.
We found out it needed all new wiring, all new plumbing, a new roof, foundation work, and a plethora of other fixes. We decided to opt out, but our realtor told us we needed to counter offer and have that offer rejected so we could move on.
We offered 40K thinking they would never take it...but they did.
It became a home...
In the Fall of 2000 our family lived in a rental house in Newton.
It was a good house. It was big enough for our 4 boys. It had a big back yard, a big kitchen, and a dining room. We did not plan on buying a house for a year. So we signed a lease and prepared to be renters.
Then the "Bergstom" house went up for sale.
Herb Bergstrom was a Newton "character." He was an oil and fuel wholesaler, and he seemed to be 'onry. He was constantly running for local political office. (In his garage we found a placard that could be affixed to his truck that read, "Herb Berstrom for _____" and you could see where the potential position was painted over multiple times...we made selves out of that sign.)
I drove past the Bergstrom house (721 E. 4th St. N) on multiple occasions. It backed-up to Sunset Park and was flanked by a row of lovely century-old houses.
This house was built around 1910 and it had been owned by the Bergstoms for 50 years.
It was falling apart.
The mint green paint had mostly fallen off. The insides were stained with years of cigarette smoke. But the beautiful oak hardwood trim and library paneling were intact. There was a butler's stair and pocket doors and high ceilings and oak pillars, a bay window with an oak bench.
It was way out of our league as far as repairs that were needed.
We put in a tentative offer and had all the inspections done.
We found out it needed all new wiring, all new plumbing, a new roof, foundation work, and a plethora of other fixes. We decided to opt out, but our realtor told us we needed to counter offer and have that offer rejected so we could move on.
We offered 40K thinking they would never take it...but they did.
It became a home...
Thursday, July 5, 2012
ABQ Woman Selling ‘Soul’ on eBay
191 (9 posts behind)
ABQ Woman Selling ‘Soul’ on eBay
ABQ Woman Selling ‘Soul’ on eBay
An Albuquerque woman has something for sale on eBay that most of wouldn’t even consider selling at any price — her soul.
KOB-TV reports that a woman identified as Lori N. recently put her soul up for bid starting at $2,000 on the online auction site. So far, nobody has made a bid.
The woman told KOB-TV she put her soul up for sale after a string of bad luck. She was a passenger in a car struck by a drunk driver in 2007. Lori was in a coma for three weeks, and woke up suffering from a stroke, a broken hip, broken pelvis, leg, collarbone, sternum, ribs, and a collapsed lung.
Lori said she realizes her ad may offend some people’s religious beliefs.
FYI: Albuquerque is the setting for the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL franchise.
hmmmmm....
chris
abq woman selling soul on ebay
KOB-TV reports that a woman identified as Lori N. recently put her soul up for bid starting at $2,000 on the online auction site. So far, nobody has made a bid.
The woman told KOB-TV she put her soul up for sale after a string of bad luck. She was a passenger in a car struck by a drunk driver in 2007. Lori was in a coma for three weeks, and woke up suffering from a stroke, a broken hip, broken pelvis, leg, collarbone, sternum, ribs, and a collapsed lung.
Lori said she realizes her ad may offend some people’s religious beliefs.
FYI: Albuquerque is the setting for the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL franchise.
hmmmmm....
chris
abq woman selling soul on ebay
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
John Adams
192 (9 posts behind)
"All the perplexitites, confusion, and distress in America arise, not from defects in their constitution or confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation." Written by John Adams in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, August 25th, 1787.
chris
Andy Taylor
Monday, July 2, 2012
As an actor...I kind of suck.
194 (9 posts behind)
I'm remembering now why I didn't pursue theatre more in college:
A.) I suck at memorizing lines
2.) I can't remember blocking all that well
III.) I can't remember choreography (as well as "moving poorly")
H.) I can't really act...
Other than that, I'm awesome.
(I can still sing, however...)
chris
I'm remembering now why I didn't pursue theatre more in college:
A.) I suck at memorizing lines
2.) I can't remember blocking all that well
III.) I can't remember choreography (as well as "moving poorly")
H.) I can't really act...
Other than that, I'm awesome.
(I can still sing, however...)
chris
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Altruism, Personal Responsibility, & Willfulness
196 (10 Posts Behind)
I think that there is three aspects (not the entire argument) but three aspects of the healthcare debate that has to do with altruism, personal responsibility, and willfulness.
Lets start with willfulness:
There are many people against Obamacare because they perceive (and rightly-so) that it will lead to government mandated healthcare that we all must participate in and pay for others who can't/won't on their own...and that makes them mad because they don't like being told what to do...
Then there is personal responsibility:
Aren't adults responsible for their own needs? Aren't adults responsible to make right choices? Doesn't Freedom run both ways: Freedom to have and Freedom to have-not?
Then there Altruism:
Isn't it in us to feel compassion? To lend a helping hand? To look after those in need?
I believe each of these truths, when thrown into the debate, act like oil and water. They don't mix.
All three are correct, but unbalanced. All three must coexist and actually support each other.
So much of our altruism has been turned into a corporate or federal affair that our personal altruism is an atrophied muscle.
The Church has the mechinism for altruistic-action in the world for the last 2000 years. I woud imagine that the Catholic Church has supported more charities and relife efforts than all the other countries in history combined.
But now the church is "on the outs" and there is a portion of the population looking to the federal goverenment.
What if three christian families (a small group at church perhaps) got together to pay for the healthcare preimiums for one other family for a year. What kind of impact would that make?
Honestly, the feds would probably work against that kind of plan.
...as would the church I'm afraid.
chris
I think that there is three aspects (not the entire argument) but three aspects of the healthcare debate that has to do with altruism, personal responsibility, and willfulness.
Lets start with willfulness:
There are many people against Obamacare because they perceive (and rightly-so) that it will lead to government mandated healthcare that we all must participate in and pay for others who can't/won't on their own...and that makes them mad because they don't like being told what to do...
Then there is personal responsibility:
Aren't adults responsible for their own needs? Aren't adults responsible to make right choices? Doesn't Freedom run both ways: Freedom to have and Freedom to have-not?
Then there Altruism:
Isn't it in us to feel compassion? To lend a helping hand? To look after those in need?
I believe each of these truths, when thrown into the debate, act like oil and water. They don't mix.
All three are correct, but unbalanced. All three must coexist and actually support each other.
So much of our altruism has been turned into a corporate or federal affair that our personal altruism is an atrophied muscle.
The Church has the mechinism for altruistic-action in the world for the last 2000 years. I woud imagine that the Catholic Church has supported more charities and relife efforts than all the other countries in history combined.
But now the church is "on the outs" and there is a portion of the population looking to the federal goverenment.
What if three christian families (a small group at church perhaps) got together to pay for the healthcare preimiums for one other family for a year. What kind of impact would that make?
Honestly, the feds would probably work against that kind of plan.
...as would the church I'm afraid.
chris
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)